[Cultural Festival / School Festival Theme] Carefully Selected High-Impact Recommended Phrases!

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

Slogans displayed every year at school festivals and cultural festivals.

Words with impact can make the festival even more exciting, but choosing one can be tough—“We want a theme that unites everyone,” “We want something funny,” and so on.

So, in this article, we’ve gathered recommended themes for cultural festivals.

From short, cool themes to witty parodies of famous quotes and stylish themes in English, we’ve picked a wide range.

Use them as inspiration when choosing your theme!

Four-character idioms (1–10)

Harmony and united cooperation

Even things that are difficult to do alone can become a wonderful school festival when everyone works together.

The four-character idiom wachū-kyōdō expresses this scene.

“Wachū-kyōdō” means uniting hearts as one to tackle tasks and endeavors.

It’s a fitting phrase not only for a festival slogan but also for a school motto.

While engaging with many people around us, we carry out a large event like the school festival.

A festival made successful by uniting everyone’s hearts will surely remain a cherished memory.

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Nakajima Junko

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A heart like clouds, a nature like the moon

“Unshin Gesshō” is a four-character idiom used to describe a person with a pure heart, like the moon and clouds, who does not seek honor or profit.

As we grow up, we inevitably tend to pursue personal gain, but if we were to describe the pure-hearted nature of junior and senior high school students, this phrase would be a perfect fit.

A school festival is a once-in-a-lifetime, precious experience where everyone can single-mindedly throw themselves into one goal together.

With the hope that you will live now and in the future with a heart as pure as the moon and clouds, how about choosing this as your slogan?

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miyabi

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Limit Break

Break Your Limits: a slogan that boldly brings the spirit of challenge to the forefront for the school festival.

It expresses a resolve for everyone to push past their own limits from preparation through the day of the event.

It can also motivate trying unprecedented performances on stage or incorporating new ideas at food stalls.

Displaying this phrase prominently on posters and pamphlets will transmit energy to viewers and is expected to boost morale across the entire festival.

In terms of design, combining a bold font with a fiery background will create synergy with the theme.

It’s the perfect theme to capture the determination to give it your all right to the very end.

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mutō

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Four-Character Idioms, Entries 11–20

Eternal recurrence

A school culture festival is a major event that colors our youth—precious time that remains in our memories.

To express the intention to cherish that fleeting moment, the term “eternal recurrence” fits perfectly.

Attributed to the German thinker Nietzsche, it conveys the idea that humans, situated within the cycle of the universe, ought to treasure the present moment.

Although it stems from a philosophical concept and may seem difficult at first glance, focusing on the aspect of valuing the present can make it feel more relatable.

The impression it gives when written in kanji is also important, as it conveys a sense of vigor, as if pressing forward toward a goal.

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kappamaki

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Once-in-a-lifetime encounter

To make a large event successful, it’s essential to set clear goals and work together with others.

The theme “Ichigo Ichie” evokes a strong sense of human connection and also suggests new encounters with people.

It gives the impression of valuing relationships, and it conveys the image of looking back on the memories from the preparation period, when everyone moved forward with a shared purpose.

As a phrase that places the highest value on human connections, it seems to carry not only the image of our teammates, but also a welcoming spirit toward the guests who will come on the day of the event.

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kappamaki

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lively and graceful

As Japanese people, we want to liven up our school festival with cool and vibrant four-character idioms, right? The phrase “活発婉麗” (kappatsu-anrei) conveys being lively, graceful, and beautiful—doesn’t it perfectly embody youth? Some people might not be very familiar with it, so by sharing and understanding its meaning, we can use this word to uplift one another as a team.

If you design it with brush calligraphy on T-shirts, banners, or posters, it will flow beautifully and make a powerful impact!

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miyabi

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unite efforts with one heart

Rikuryoku Kyōshin means everyone joining forces to tackle work or events together.

It’s read “rikuryoku kyōshin,” and the word rikuryoku has nearly the same meaning as cooperation.

Moreover, kyōshin conveys the idea of everyone striving in harmony without letting their hearts be disturbed.

To make a big event succeed, it’s important not only that each person cooperates, but that their hearts are united toward the same goal.

This phrase expresses that succinctly, making it a perfect slogan for a school festival.

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Yuuki

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